What is Ecumenism and why do we need it?

One universal church

Father David Jones

Ecumenism is the movement to promote Christian unity. Jesus founded one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Catholic with an upper case “C” is used for the proper noun naming the Catholic Church. In the creed catholic is spelled with the lower case “c” to mean ecumenical, universal, or all over the land.

Ecumenism is needed because despite the will of God, we the people get divided up when individuals and groups don’t hear God saying and doing the same thing to each and all of us.

When divisions rise to a level that compromises the unity of the church, an ecumenical council can be a gathering that clarifies and corrects who we are and what we are teaching in the name of Jesus. The last ecumenical council convened was the Second Vatican Council that opened in 1962 and closed in 1965.

Ecumenism reminds us that Jesus founded one church. All the Christian churches on the blocks we pass on our way to our parish are filled with sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus.

When we invite or visit their houses of worship for prayer, a concert or any reason, we are visiting sisters and brothers, but we are not one church.

We need ecumenism.

We don’t receive or share communion because our beliefs are not quite the same. Jesus has more work to do before we will be one again.

It always takes an act of God to make us one. This is true in marriage, after death and even in church. The only way any one becomes two or more is by God.

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